Killer of two sentenced to death

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — A 21-year-old killer of two in southern Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province was sentenced to death on Wednesday following a trial held by the provincial People’s Court in Châu Đức District.

In addition to the death sentence, Châu Minh Nhân, from the southern province of Vĩnh Long, was also charged with six years’ imprisonment for theft of property.

He was also ordered to pay VNĐ200 million (US$8,800) as burial costs to the family of the victims.

On October 20-23 last year, in need of money to pay off his debts, Nhân frequented the house of Bùi Xuân Thường, a resident of Châu Đức District’s Quảng Thành Ward, where he assisted in building an artificial soccer pitch, according to the indictment of the provincial People’s Procuracy.

On October 24, he decided to break into the house. While searching for items to steal inside the house, Nhân saw Thường’s son, Bùi Phạm Đức Toàn. He beat him to death with an iron tube and then hid his body in a storehouse.

He then saw Thường’s wife, Phạm Thị Thuý Nga, hit her with the same tool and then strangled her to death with an electric wire, stealing some VNĐ18 million ($794) from the family.

During the trial, Nhân admitted to committing the crimes and apologised to Thường.

Nhân said he robbed Thường’s family because his friends had not paid back the money they owed him. — VNS